Cragmaw Goblin Tribe
Overview The Cragmaw Goblin tribe is made up of a number of Goblins, Hobgoblins and Bugbears that operates around the Neverwinter Wood area. The are named after the jagged teeth of the members that resemble white or yellow crags in their mouths. The tribe is known to attack travelers and caravans along the Triboar Trail and have recently been rumoured to be in the employ of a mysterious figure know as the "Black Spider". They have also been known to take slaves for labour, entertainment, food or ritual sacrifice. Their main hideout was at Cragmaw Castle (named after them), located deep in Neverwinter Wood, while they also maintained a number of smaller hideouts around the area. Organization The Gragmaws operate in a cellular structure, with smaller groups clustered around the territory they control. A single leader, King Grol, ruled over all but the cells each work independently. The cells don't work together often or even get a long with each other in some cases. Within the tribe there is always somebody looking to advance his way to the top, even ready to kill for the chance. After King Grol's death, Targor Bloodsword took a brief reign but was later killed by the party also. After which Cragmaw Castle fell out of the hands of the Cragmaw's control and the new leader, if any, has yet to be found. Involvement The Lost Mine of Phandelver (Campaign) The Cragmaws have been highly involved in the campaign. They were first mentioned when Wobbly Killa interrogated a Red Brand thug during their raid on the the Red Brands' hideout. The thug told him that the Cragmaws' would likely be the recipients of the slaves they where holding. Also while the party explored the Red Brands' hideout they came across Bugbears on loan to the Red Brands' to help them suppress the town. After killing the Bugbears there the party took on a Cragmaw Goblin named Droop who helped them track down other Cragmaw locations. With the help of Droop, the party were able to find a Cragmaw hideout that they overlooked after their earlier ambush. Within, the party wiped out the group of Goblins under Klarg and found the missing Sildar Hallwinter who explained that Gundren Rockseeker was targeted by the Cragmaws on behalf of the "Black Spider". Sildar told them he suspects the Goblinoids took Gundren to their main hideout, but he couldn't help them in finding its location. They also found within the hideout merchandise that belonged to the Lionshied Coster that Linene Graywind had hired the party to retrieve. With the Cragmaws's main hideout their only lead, the party headed to Thundertree in search of Reidoth the Druid, who eventually they learned the location of the Cragmaws' main home, Cragmaw Castle. Unfortunately for the party (at that time only Ellaria Nightwood, Yamcha and Wobbly Killa), they were tricked into entering the lair of Venomfang, a young green Dragon, who they offered Cragmaw Castle (once cleared of Goblins) to for letting them keep their lives. He gave them 30 days to get the job done. Once they reached the castle the party made use of Droop's knowledge of Goblin language and the inhabitants of the castle to get around. There minds where more on sating the Dragon than rescuing their patron dwarf. After seeing a group of Hobgoblins carry in a Tiefling male and a Human female in clerical garb into the castle, party decide that their rescue mission just became a three target operation. They infiltrated a side door found by Wobbly and ended up in a brawl with the kitchen Goblins, including their master Yegg, which they all slayed. They found their Tiefling target, a trained fighter by the name of Dicklack Retardo, in the kitchen area who when freed became a helpful ally. During the aftermath of the fighting, Gwen slipped out of the castle, but not without being seen by everyone, Goblins included. They moved back towards the main entrance of the Castle but from the inside, where they met with an ambush. Fighting through the ambush they killed all their attackers and ended up in the main storeroom. There they found Sildar's stolen gear, including his sword, chainmail and heavy crossbow as well as the stolen gear of the Goblins' recent captures. Almost immediately after getting his gear back, Dicklack walked into another ambush, nearly losing his head to a slash from a Hobgoblin. The rest of the party managed to kill the second ambush off but they could do nothing for the Tiefling other than staunch his wounds with the last of their healing kit and leave him to recover. They barred the door from the outside with a small barricade of barrels before moving to the adjacent room. In the next room they found a darkened temple as well as the bound cleric, ready to be used in a sacrificial ritual to the Goblin God Maglubiyet. As they approached the woman, a third ambush was sprung as Lhupo (the chief religious figure in the tribe) and his two acolytes attacked, using the captive as a shield. The fighting was harsh and a worn out Yamcha took the brunt of the damage but the true hero of the fight was Droop who managed to slay his clansman at the orders of his new masters. With the aid of the clerics healing the party ventured forth from the temple into the next room. Expecting another ambush, they decided to enter in a pincer move using the doors from them main hall as well as the curtain entrance from the temple room. All but Wobbly went through the doors from the main hall, against Droops shallow protests, and were caught in the trap laid long before by the Cragmaws for just such an occasion. In the resulting cave in, Yamcha, Ellaria and the cleric took a beating from the falling rubble, but Droop fared much worse and was crushed by a large worked stone, much like a swatted fly. As has become his custom, Yamcha took a chunk of his friend and ally for later use. Now forced to enter the main hall room due to a cave in, the heroes found themselves at the mercy of a Grick, kept as a pet by the now dead Lhupo. They managed to slay the monstrous creature but not without heavy damage and being forced to chose between saving Yamcha's life or the cleric's. They chose wisely and Yamcha lived on. After all the fighting the party needed a rest. After holding up in the barracks they left Dicklack in they rested long enough for Targor Bloodsword to return along with his unit. Wobbly, who was guarding the others while they rested, was caught by Targor's soldiers and interrogated the half-orc and along with Gwen (who was caught earlier by Targor after fleeing the castle) who took them to King Grol's throne room. Yamcha and Ellaria also were captured a short time later and forced inside the throne room. Grol, in the middle of a negotiation, was trying to sell a map that was once Gundren's to an agent of the Black Spider, a female Drow named Vyerith. The Drow questioned the party, making a number passive-aggressive comments about Grol in the process, revealing a number of interesting facts as she did. After which a fight broke out as the King took tried to exact revenge for his slain subjects. Grol was killed in the fight after a herculean effort against him and Vyerith escaped with the map. The party had to kill more Hobgoblins in the fight and finally got a chance to explore the castle at their leisure. Gwen stayed behind to watch over the throne room while the others searched the nearby rooms. They found an barred door in the South of the castle which Ellaria opened without hesitation. Within they encountered a captured Owlbear who tried to defend itself on its way out, injuring both Ellaria and Yamcha in the process before escaping the castle. Hearing Targor and his team closing in on the sounds of combat the party decided to flee along with Gwen in the hopes that they find Vyerith's trail. After escaping the castle the party heading into the woods in search of Vyerith's trail and shortly after they set out Targor and his warbard gave chase, having found the murder King Grol by now. After tracking them for a while Targor caught up to them and discovered Gwen and an exhausted Yamcha hiding in the bushes. He promptly took them back to the castle as prisoners, where he confined them along with the already captured Dicklack Retardo. Shortly after returning his men also caught Ellaria Nightwood trying to rescue the others and he knocked her unconscious with a punch for speaking back to him. While he had the prisoners in his grasp, Targor set the question to Yamcha, "Who will be killed first?" as he planned to turn all of them into a new throne for his new throne room. Yamcha chose Dicklack who was take away (the party later found him after being butchered and cut into pieces). Shortly after Wobbly sneaked his way into the castle once more and with the help of a freed and Frenzied Yamcha they killed Targor. Yamcha thrust a longsword through his face enough to make him unrecognizable and then cut off his head at the jaw, as he likes to do, and took it with him. Notable People and Places People * King Grol, an aged Bugbear the overall leader of the tribe. (Dead) * Targor Bloodsword, a fierce and smart Hobgoblin who took over after Grol's death. (Dead) * Droop, a cowardly Goblin that accompanied the party and helped them in their assaults on the Tribe. (Dead) * Klarg, a Bugbear and field group leader within the tribe. (Dead) * Lhupo, a Goblin the religious leader of the tribe who believed Maglubiyet spoke and blessed him personally. (Dead) * Yegg, a Goblin and chief chef of the tribe. (Dead) * Yeemik, a Goblin and lieutenant to Klarg, also the lead Goblin in the torturing of Sildar Hallwinter (Dead) Places * Cragmaw Castle, the central fort of the tribe and home to the main tribe. * Cragmaw Hideout, a field hideout run by Klarg which was used to launch ambushes along the Triboar Trail.